Embracing Authenticity: Your Personal Platform Vs. Personal Brand
Contributed by Idea Collective Member:
Pat Miller
Founder of the Idea Collective Small Business Incubator
Have you ever stumbled upon a tweet that made you stop in your tracks and rethink your approach to life and work?
I sure did when I saw a tweet that completely resonated with me. It’s a tweet that challenges the very concept of a personal brand, and it’s a message that couldn’t be more relevant in 2023.
Let’s dive into this eye-opening tweet and explore why it’s time to reconsider the idea of a personal brand in today’s ever-evolving landscape.
The Tweet That Started It All
The tweet in question reads:
“Yesterday, I threw the term personal brand in the garbage. Be your own head of marketing at Me Incorporated doesn’t vibe in 2023. That’s some 1997 language. The landscape has changed and we’ve changed. The future is showing up as you, not a brand of you. You can be professional while being completely yourself. You can meet professionals while being completely yourself. You get to define what showing up online means, not outdated terminology that puts you in a box.”
ISN’T THAT GOOD STUFF
Instantly, it became clear that the author was onto something profound. The world has changed, and so have we. The tweet suggests that instead of molding ourselves into personal brands, we should embrace showing up as our authentic selves. We can connect with others on a genuine level.
The Power Of Authenticity
The tweet challenges us to reflect on our consistency. Are we consistently ourselves, or are we consistently projecting an image that may or may not align with our true selves? It’s a thought-provoking question that led me to dig deeper into the perspective of its author.
The author’s philosophy revolves around creating a personal platform rather than a personal brand. According to them, a personal platform is an extension of yourself, not a separate entity. It’s about sharing your story on your terms, not manufacturing an image. It’s about your opinion of yourself, not people’s opinions of you. And most importantly, it’s an honest representation of the real you, not a carefully constructed facade.
The 'A-Ha' Moment
It felt like the moment in cartoons when the character’s eyeballs pop out with a loud “boing, boing, boing.” It was an epiphany that deeply resonated with my own journey. For too long, I created content that catered to others’ expectations, not realizing that I was crafting content for a persona that didn’t truly exist. The result? People didn’t really know me.
But through the new approach I’ve adopted, just like the one we’re experimenting with on Small Business Mornings, I’ve witnessed something incredible. People have gotten to know the real me, unfiltered and unburdened by the confines of a personal brand. We’re simply having genuine conversations, just as we would if you were sitting in my office.
Embrace Your Authentic Self
Isn’t it liberating to think that you don’t have to conform to someone else’s image of yourself? When you show up authentically, as your true self, you cut through the noise. People get to know the real you, not an artificial construct. So, as you embark on your journey today and beyond, ask yourself this important question: Are you living up to someone’s image of you, or are you being true to who you really are?
When you choose authenticity, when you show up as yourself, you break down barriers and create genuine connections. It’s time to embrace your personal platform and let go of the limiting confines of a personal brand. Trust me; it’s an awesome shift worth considering.
So, are you ready to be yourself, unapologetically and authentically? The world is waiting to get to know you.
Contributed by
Pat Miller
Founder Of The Idea Collective Small Business Incubator
Pat spent two decades in broadcasting management and hosting. After leaving the radio industry, he spent time consulting small businesses and realized the support system for entrepreneurs was broken. Where could you find help for improving small businesses and building real connections with other like-minded people. In June of 2020, the Idea Collective Small Business Incubator was born.
